Oh zucchini!  “A joy in July or a joke in September!”  

Truth is, what would summer be without zucchini and tomatoes fresh from the garden?  Zucchini simply capture the green colors and flavors of summer.  When fried alone, or stuffed and fried, they are marvelous as appetizers or for a mid-morning treat!  A platter of fried or baked stuffed zucchini/squash blossoms is an everyday delight on Italian tables.

And with zucchini comes those beautiful buttery, yellow, golden blossoms that attract bees humming in bliss while stuffing themselves with pollen that blesses them from the interiors of each blossom!  Perfect to use in this recipe for Stuffed Fried Zucchini Blossoms with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Basil Pesto !

To prepare garden-fresh zucchini/squash blossoms in a delicate veil of crispy batter is comparable to nothing on earth.

 
Fresh-picked squash blossoms from my garden this morning, ready to prepare in the kitchen!
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squash/zucchini/pumpkin blossoms are pretty enough for a delicate bouquet (they won’t last longer than a few hours though!)
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j.
Just a few shots (above and below) of how profusely my zucchini and squash plants are growing in just one portion of my garden . . . you have to look very closely, because often they grown hidden underneath very large green leaves 
and yes, the plants have outgrown the garden and are well into our backyard now!
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Zucchini/squash plants are similar to tomatoes . . . they have blossoms first!
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Let’s just call it vegetable garden ‘flower power’!
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The difference is that these lovely yellow blossoms are BIG!
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Big enough to cut, open, lay flat, stuff, and FRY!
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Zucchini blossoms, squash blossoms, pumpkin blossoms . . . whatever you choose to grow and/or call them, are the little beauty delicacies,  that for years Italians have known that, they are completely edible, delicious, and very hard to come by.
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Why?
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They bloom only in the morning hours of your garden, and they wilt within hours.  The window of time to harvest any squash blossom, to stuff them, and to fry them is very, very small.
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Thus the reason why you’ll be hard-pressed to ever find fried zucchini/squash blossoms on menus in the U.S.  Few people know of these outside of the culinary and Italian world.
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There is nothing poisonous about these blossom, OK?  Actually, I don’t think there’s even a major taste to these blossoms.  They are just the “envelope” or “pouch” in which to stuff and fry.  What you end up tasting is the fried element of the dish as well as the stuffing.  So please don’t fear . . . try this . . . it’s fun, and so yummy!
 
  
 
zucchini/squash blossoms play a little game of ‘find me’ every morning under the huge plant leaves
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Just another shot of a platter of blossoms below showing you how they will CLOSE up within a few hours of harvest.  you have very little time to prepare them to eat.  sure, you can still dunk these in the batter, but they will be round instead of flat . . . the flavor alone will not be changed.
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Here’s the link to my original post to learn about the very first method of using zucchini/pumpkin/squash blossoms . . . . frying them only.  It is known in Italy has ‘pastella’, frying in a light ‘tempura-like’ batter that ends up in crispy, non-greasy fritters:

.Zucchini Blosssoms Fried in Pastella (Fiori di Zucchini Fritti in Pastella)

 

Here is a photo-step-by-step tutorial on preparing Stuffed Fried Zucchini Blossoms with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Basil Pesto:

 
once you harvest your blossoms, bring them into the kitchen, no need to rinse them down if they’re clean and bug-free . . . just take a pair of kitchen shears, cut off the stems and stamens, make one length-wise slit and open them up to lay them flat.
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when working with zucchini/squash blossoms, I prefer to use parchment paper so that they don’t stick to a metal pan
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 this year’s blossoms are HUGE!
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on the stove in a pan, saute’ in canola oil, the onion, garlic, prosciutto, herbs, and basil
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blend the cheeses with the sautéed mixture
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place about a tablespoon of the cheese/prosciutto/herb mixture on one end of each of the opened blossoms.
at this point, if you choose to place an anchovy inside, this is when you do that.
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continue to place this mixture on all of the opened blossoms.
work quickly, they wilt fast!
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from the stuffing end, roll the blossoms up GENTLY, they break easily 
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pinch the open top ends of the stuffed blossoms; aren’t they pretty?
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href=”https://www.italianbellavita.com/2011/08/fresh-basil-pesto/” target=”_blank”>link for “Fresh Basil Pesto”.

 
gently place each rolled up stuffed blossom in the batter and coat well
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place all of the battered stuffed blossoms on a platter ready for frying 
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in very fresh, clean, and HOT canola oil, fry the blossoms until golden . . . 
do not overcrowd them or let them stick to the bottom of the pan
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immediately after blossoms are fried to a beautiful golden color, place them on a platter with double paper towels to soak up any extra frying oil.
this is not a heavy batter, it is more like a Japanese tempura, very light
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a beautiful presentation on fresh tomato sauce and dollops of fresh basil pesto sauce!

 .Enjoy these Stuffed Fried Zucchini Blossoms with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Basil Pesto !

Print
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Fried Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Basil Pesto (Fiori di Zucca Fritti)

  • Author: Roz
  • Prep Time: 0 hours
  • Additional Time: 0 hours
  • Cook Time: 0 hours
  • Total Time: 0 hours
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Ingredients

Units Scale

For the stuffing:

  • 1 Tbsp. canola oil for sautéing
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small to medium sweet (Vidalia) onion, minced
  • 1/2 to 2/3 cup prosciutto, chopped
  • 1 tsp. garden-fresh oregano, minced
  • 1 tsp. garden-fresh thyme, minced
  • 2 tsp. garden-fresh basil, freshly minced, or 1 tsp. dried basil
  • 2 Tbsp. garden-fresh Italian parsley, minced
  • 1/2 pound ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup freshly-grated Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or Asiago)
  • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt (or to taste)
  • anchovies (optional: 1 per blossom)
  • 1/2 pound garden-fresh spinach, washed, stems removed, finely chopped (optional – if you want spinach, add to the original sauté mixture and cook it down until all liquid is involved)
  • 15 – 30 zucchini/squash blossoms, freshly picked, rinsed in cold water, stamens and stems removed

Batter:

  • 1 cup water
  • 2/3 cup flourNote: Some cooks add an egg yolk as well as some baking soda/powder. I think that this is a good idea and will make your batter a little thicker if you like.

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
4 large garden-fresh tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 cup dry white wine (optional)
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)Pesto:

  • 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, minced
  • 4 large garden-fresh tomatoes, seeded and chopped
  • 1 cup dry white wine (optional)
  • 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1/2 tsp. sugar

Instructions

For the filling:

  1. In a large heavy pan, sauté’ the onion and garlic in olive oil until softened.
  2. Add prosciutto and all of the herbs.
  3. Remove from stove and add this to all of the cheeses.
  4. Salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Cut off stems and any green end of the blossoms.
  6. Cut a slit through in between two blossom petals and open up each blossom to lay them flat on a platter or piece of parchment paper.
  7. Remove the stamen.
  8. Place a spoonful of filling in each blossom.
  9. Roll up each stuffed blossom and press edges together.
  10. Be careful not to let any filling ooze out of the blossoms.
  11. May be refrigerated at this point for one day or fried right away.

For the Batter:

  1. Put one (1) cup of water in a wide soup bowl.
  2. Gradually add the flour through a sifter and CONSTANTLY beat the mixture with a fork until all the flour is added. The batter will have a consistency of sour cream.

For the tomato sauce:

  1. Saute onion in olive oil.
  2. Add tomatoes, wine and tomato paste.
  3. Cook uncovered, for about 5 – 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, allowing mixture to cook until reduced and slightly thickened.
  4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Mix together all ingredients.